Oh Gini, being a cat lover as well as a bird lover, I would find that challenging. I have feeders all around as well as water stations for birds. I have 2 indoor cats and so they do not bother my birds in general. Sometimes they will jump at the screen when cow birds, grackles and mocking birds get in the feeders. I think cause they are so noisy. But the sweet quiet birds, my cardinal couple, the mourning doves and others, my cats do not disturb. Some folks have said mothballs will keep cats out of gardens and certain selected areas. I can not tell you if it works. Good luck honey!

Ginny...we may have to go to Wally Mart one day and 'test' those super soakers!!! You can just sit on the patio and make believe you're 'soaking the cattails'.......

my neighbor lets 2 cats out every day, they used to head right for my yard until i started spraying them with the garden hose. now they just pee on my garbage cans, so we found a happy medium- i guess lol

I chase them off with my BB gun pistol which shoots a very weak BB, 200 FPS. It couldn't penetrate fur but would at least sting if it hit. But its about impossible to hit anything. It does scare them off though. I scare squirrels off with it also. Feel free to flame me PETA people, at least I'm not using my 1000 FPS pellet gun.

Gary

My first thought echoed Beth7happy - What fun!! More entertainment. I love cats, but have lots of birds, too. I keep a few empty plastic water bottles on my porch. Cats used to be in my yard all the time hunting birds, but the bottles make such a loud scary noise when thrown, Apparently LOOK very impressive coming through the air and since you never come anywhere near the cats,its been a great solution for me.

I'd try to raise the bird feeder higher off the ground and get a hose nozzle that sprays a hard concentrated stream of water. Then sit on your porch and spray the problem cat everytime you see him. After a while he'll get the hint and leave your birds alone!

The first thing to do is make sure your feeders are as safe as possible, concerning placement, height, etc. MOST birds on the feeder will easily see the cats coming and make a clean getaway.

Now, for discouraging the cats...that's a whole 'nuther kettle of fish. First and foremost, let me say that I am a FIRM believer in INDOOR cats. Period. The average life expectancy of an outdoor cat in this country is TWO years! Two years for an animal that should live 15 to 20! So for the sake of the CAT alone, I believe in keeping them indoors. We have four happy, contented, well-adjusted indoor cats who don't even TRY to get out.

The second reason for having indoor cats is consideraton of others. It isn't fair, in my opinion, to let your animals or your children trespass on the property of others. It shows a lack of respect and can be dangerous to the well-being of your pet or your kids.

But having said all of that, we know it isn't a perfect world and both cats and kids will show up where they aren't supposed to. If talking to the neighbors doesn't work, water is probably your best bet. They do make "machine gun" style water guns that shoot pretty darn far with a fairly heavy but harmless blast. The hose is pretty effective, too. There are even motion sensitive devices designed to scare away deer and the like that will make a racket while spraying water around. Trouble with those is they might scare away the birds, too, if they are too close to the feeder. But they could be used to keep the animals out of other areas of the yard, so that they don't even get a chance to approach the feeder.

For myself, I would talk to the neighbor in question, and if I wasn't met with some form of cooperation, I would get a Have-A-Heart style trap (animal control will loan you one). After catching his/her cat, I would return it to them, explain what happened and ask once more that they control their animals. After that, I would be seriously inclined to tell them that the next time I catch the cat in the trap, it's not going to be returned to them. You might not be on speaking terms with your neighbor at that point, but a neighbor who isn't considerate of your property probably isn't such a loss.

Just some random thoughts. There may be other ways to handle it, but that's probably what I would do if I had a constant battle going on.

Marcia

Marcia, I couldn't agree more. In the lot next to my house live ferral cats (wild) and they fight with the cats that are let loose. They all go to the bathroom in my garden on that side of the house and the smell is terrible. Especially in the heat! Animal control will come for the cats if I trap them, but the ferral cats they put down. I hate to do that, so I usually just let them go. But it seems to be more then ever and I think they are breeding, so I may not have a choice soon.

I love cats, and had them most of my life, and they were inside cats, like yours never wanted to go outside.

Katkin, the feral cats will be breeding all over the place. You might check into a capture, spay and release program. Many communities have them and vets will sometimes do it for free. There are people in our area who set traps at all the dumpsters and areas where the feral cats gather, take in the caught ones, have them neutered and then release back into the area. (They are usually way too wild to tame down, though sometimes you can find homes for them.) This doesn't get rid of the feral cats that are already there, but it does prevent their numbers from growing so rapidly. It's a step in the right direction, but of course, there wouldn't even BE a feral cat problem in the first place if people would spay & neuter their pets and keep them indoors. So sad for the thousands of animals destroyed every year.

We had a litter of four feral kittens in our neighborhood this summer. I was able to trap two of them and I tamed them down (they were very young) and found homes for them. But the other two and the mother have disappeared. Probably been killed on one of our roads somewhere.

Good luck with your problem, Katkin!

Marcia

Just to let you know, sometimes it really is impossible to keep a cat indoors. My oldest cat Rascal, who is 17 years old, has spent nearly her entire life outdoors even though I tried to make her an indoor cat. I adopted her from the pound as a kitten and she was a true hunter from day one. She literally plucked all the tail feathers from one of my parakeets before she was a year old (the bird was okay if a bit traumitized). By the time she was an adult it was a battle to keep her inside and then she discovered just how easy it is to shred window screens (much to my moms dispair)! After her first taste of the great outdoors there was no keeping her inside. I tried to at least keep her in at night although I wasn't always successful. Fortuneatly, none of the neighbors minded having her visit them and her main hunting interest was snakes. She liked to catch snakes and present them, alive and unharmed, to my mom who is terrified of snakes. She also terrorized the squirells although she never caught any. And as for birds, the mockingbirds, woodpeckers, and blue jays made sure she stayed away from them! Now in her old age she pretty much just naps on or around my parents front porch during the day and spends her nights inside my house (we live next door to each other).

I also have 2 other cats who are much younger, Khyssa and Koneko. Knyssa likes to go outside with me but doesn't leave mine and my parents yards. If she is outside with me she follows me around the yard and gets upset if she looses sight of me. She tends to do the same thing inside the house as well. Koneko, who's only a little over a year old, is not allowed outside unless she is wearing her harness and leash. She's not afraid of anything and I'm afraid if she wasn't on her leash she'd end up wandering into the road and getting hit by a car. She's pretty content to stay inside though as long as she has Khyssa to play with and gets to hunt to her hearts content out in the garage. I've lost count of how many lizards I've rescued from her and how many cockroaches and beetles in through the pet door so that she can play with the in the living room!

Thank you all for your suggestions and stories too.

In all honesty, I am not a cat person - never owned one and when my doctor told me about 15 years ago to stay away from cats, I did all I could to avoid them. It's just when the one cat claimed my yard as his santuary about 2 years ago, I couldn't help but melt a little - especially when he caught a rat and a mole at different times and put them both on the path. It felt like he was doing that just for me. I have never fed him or petted him, yet I can find him (or maybe a she) somewhere in my garden every day. I always call him 'garden kitty' and he knows I'm talking to him.

Now the neighbor's cat is a different story. I used to chase him away every time I saw him in the yard, but he would just go around the corner and peek back to see if I was still there and come right back. I don't mind him catching the rats, lizards or moles, but I hate when they go after the birds. I guess he can't tell the difference between one meal or another.

The hose is not handy for my patio area, but may look at the super soaker, the water bottles I can try, don't think I could use the bb gun (I'm too squeamish), the trap is definitely an option, so I may use a combination of rememdies and go back to chasing him too.

Karla, I think this cat may very well be like yours. I can't see him confined at all and can see a shredded screen if he was locked in. Glad your cat made it to her senior years.

Ginny

I have 3 cats. One all the time indoor and two inanout boys. I would like to keep them all confined to the house and cat run we built, but the boys came to us already preferring the outside. They start climbing the walls if they can't get out when they want. I stoped putting up a bird feeder, because I felt it wasn't fair to bait the birds. I do miss the birds. Toots who broke into our house in the middle of the night, came through a hole in the screen and sat on DH chest. That was 16 years ago and now adays all he does is sleep out in the yard, or inside. I have determined any new critters that come into this house will be indoor only. I try to understand that the instinct for survival doesn't dissappear just because they get fed regularly. I believe that human activity kills more birds then cats do. Never the less it hurt me when a cat caught a bird or even a mouse, So giveing up my feeder was my way of dealing with it. I decided when Toots went to the big garden in the sky I would put up a feeder, but then I rescued Sherman who is only about two, so I guess a feeder is out of the question for me.

Here is some info on bird predation by cats:

http://www.abcbirds.org/cats/factsheets/predation.pdf

Gary

This is why I believe in kennel training for both dogs and cats. And cats should be kept indoors. It is a matter of safety / protecting wildlife. This whole catch and release thing with cats infuriates me.

I live in a agricultural / residential zone area of north palm beach. When we bought here in 1984 the neighbor said that many people "shoot loose dogs and cats". I thought this was HORRIBLE ! But soon I was understanding why. I know my limitations of caring for pets both time / financially . That is why I only have 2 dogs.

But unfortunately we have people who think " ohh its the woods , someone will take them in " and then dumps the poor animal !

I was at a party a few years ago, when this poor misguided soul openly talked about doing just that. Trap cats and dogs / spend a small fortune on sterilizing them and then dump them in Jupiter farms. I am not a violent person but I wanted to b***h slap her! I am sure there are many people in the city limits that feel the same way as I do .

It breaks my heart to see the cats running through the vacant lots. And terrified scrawny dogs tipping over the garbage cans so they can eat. !

As many of you may remember I asked the police about spray painting dogs who jumped my fence killing my pet pig and some geese and chicken. Not just once, but a number of times. What if it had been a child ?

I have had people argue that loose cats keeps down the rat population......... some of these people kill snakes !

With all the kids in foster care who needs the taxpayer help, sometimes euthanasia is the only way to go with animals.........

But........that is just my opinion LOL

D`Ann

D'Ann, I agree with you in many ways. The neuter and release program is NOT the answer, but merely better than doing nothing. HOWEVER, the "release" part is not meant to take them to the country and release them in someone ELSE'S yard! Absolutely not, in fact it is illegal to dump cats, neutered or not, in Seminole County. The program in this area releases the cats back exactly where they were caught, where they have already established their territory. Usually this is outside a restaurant of some sort, near a dumpster, though sometimes it is in a neighborhood where the cat is accepted as a regular feature of local yards. Much like the one Ginibee mentioned above who hangs out in her yard. It is NOT a great answer, but as I said, it is better than doing nothing. And the people involved are generally NOT willing to euthanize the animal, so this at least gives them an option that prevents even more stray kittens from that particular cat.

For myself, as I said, I found homes for the strays I caught, and they have been neutered and made indoor cats. I do understand that when you take in a cat who is already an outdoor cat, it is hard to keep them inside. But it is DOABLE if you are committed. I have done it with more than one cat over the years. Yep, I had one who would go through the screen when it got a chance, but I learned to be sure it didn't get on the porch to do that. And it finally learned that being inside, well fed and pampered was better than being outside, hungry and wet.

You would be amazed at how serious bird predation is by both dogs and cats (dogs are almost as good at catching & killing birds as cats are). That is reason enough to keep them inside in my mind, but again, the most important reason is the safety, health and general welfare of the cat. No fleas, no worms and other parasites, no danger of being hit by cars or attacked by dogs (like the problem in downtown Sanford where dozens of cats have been torn to pieces by free-running dogs...another terrible problem), no getting lost, falling down storm drains, eating poison bait, no exposure to rabies or other diseases...just a healthy, happy, LONG-LIVED cat. If you love your cats, the answer seems very simple to me.

Just my opinion, of course, but one I firmly believe in.

Marcia

katkin and everyone else having problems with feral kitties

I am a strong believer of TNR, and volunteer my time at SpayDay even every month. I see a difference.
Just some info:http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/whatistnr.htm

Ideally, a cat should be kept indoors; when it is not possible, TNR is what I choose to do.

Katkin, if you need help, please contact ACT - Animal Coalition of Tampa. Or you can email me directly: smarodzi@csee.usf.edu
One of the problems with the trapping and putting ferals to sleep is that new cats come in and fill in the area as it gets cleared out. When releasing cats back, they do not make babies, keep the territory in control and get quite a bit lazier.

I am glad to report that some animal control agencies are choosing TNR. Pasco Animal Control came to SpayDay to see how we operate, and held their own first SpayDay about a month ago!

Please, consider TNR

I have two ferals in the yard - I had to move the bird feeders as high as possible. It seems to help. Birds, given time, also get more aware of the cats in the yard and are a lot more cautious.
The rest of my cats are indoor cats.

Olya

Boy, there is a lot going on that I wasn't aware of, so I guess I should consider myself lucky it's just one cat causing a ruckus!! It is so sad there are so many cats and dogs without homes and roaming around doing the best they can. I guess that happens in the human area too.

I won't give up the bird feeders so if trapping the cat and taking it to it's owner is the best solution, that's what I'll do. First, I have to find out for sure it's the neighbor's cat. I should see him this weekend. When the cat first showed up, there were 2 exactly alike - sleek solid black, but I've only see the one lately.

I wish there was a simple solution to the other problems mentioned, but I guess there's not.

Funny thing is the first time I took some supplies to the animal shelter, there were about half a dozen cats roaming around the parking lot. I thought they had gotten loose from inside and mentioned it to one of the workers. She just laughed and said there were about a dozen that lived out there, so I guess that may have been part of the 'program'. It was very surprising to me, but they all seemed to be in their element.

Ginny

Olya, thanks for the extra info on the TNR program. I really wanted to do the neuter and release thing with the feral mama of the kittens I caught, but I never could trap her. I would have paid for the neutering myself if my vet had not agreed to it, and I would have put her back in our neighborhood where she has been living for some time. But I DID manage to get those two kitttens and I was able to find loving homes for them, so they are out of the loop at least. The mama has disappeared...probably ran out of luck on our streets.

There are over 1,000 cats a month euthanized during peak breeding months in Orange county alone. That number might even be higher this year. I can't even get my mind around that many sweet and beautiful cats dying all because pet owners don't spay & neuter their animals. It's so sad!

Olya, thanks for pointing out that euthanizing the feral cats CAN cause a gap that more will move into. I hadn't even considered that part before. But of course, I agree with D'Ann that no one has a right to gather up cats and dump them out in the countryside, whether they have been neutered first or not. That isn't fair to the folks living out there OR the cats, who suddenly find themselves far away from whatever food source they had been depending on.

The real solution to the entire feral cat problem begins with owner responsibility! Makes ya wanna smack someone up beside the head, doesn't it?

Marcia

What if you fed the birds on a birdbath type structure, and what if you set it in the middle of a plastic kiddie pool full of water?

The real solution to the entire feral cat problem begins with owner responsibility
-- Absolutely, Marcia!

As for gathering up the cats and dumping them out in the countryside...well, it is inconsiderate, besides being quite cruel to the cats themselves. People at Project SpayDay say that relocating a cat after neuter/spay is like dumping a human in a foreign country..

During TNR, cats are usually released back to their original environment and have a caretaker providing food. Spaying/neutering is just part of the equation.

Back to the original problem of cats and birds...I think a hose on regular basis will send the message to the cat that is hunting on your territory. Worth a try :)

Olya

Hi,Im back !
And since this threads about cats and birds and irresponsible owners , I will share something with you. I am in my eighteenth day of having a Africa grey parrot in my house. I adopted it from someone who felt that they could no longer take care of it. The bird is only 13 years old and I am the third owner......... Once again, someone doesn`t think through taking on the responsibility of a pet. I realize that jimmybird will most likely outlive me, but try placing a bird in a home when the bird is fearful and bites ! The poor little bugger was plucking out its feathers on its chest.

yea -yea I know...im a sucker !

Oh, D'Ann! I raised parrots and budgies for years (at one time had 46 birds at once) and I know exactly what needs they have. They are so amazingly intelligent and so many people who buy them don't have a clue what they are getting into. When you take an animal with the approxixmate intelligence of a 3-year old child and the lifespan of a human being into your home, you really have to think about the welfare of that animal in a whole different way.

I had an African grey, a green-cheeked Amazon, and a red-lored Amazon, among my many lovebirds and budgies. They were pets and very affectionate birds, but all three are now in breeding situations, happily making new parrots. Captive breeding programs are the only way we have to ensure the survival of many parrot species as their habitats disappear. It was a hard decision, but one I felt I had to make.

But many people just pass them along to folks who think it would be cool to have one, without knowing what it entails. Your poor bird was plucking in frustration that can quickly become neurotic. I know you will do your very best for Jimmybird. If you want to talk parrots any time, just drop me a line.

Good luck!
Marcia

We have a 'Scarecrow' that works really well. It is a motion activated water 'sprinkler' that shoots water quite a distance and the motion detector also has a fairly long range and it's adjustable. Our feeders are up fairly high and the 'scarecrow' is low to the ground so it doesn't disturb the birds on the feeder (or on the ground under the feeders). We have some stray cats that jump the fence into our yard, some specifically for the birds! Once they experience the 'scarecrow', they seldom return! It makes quite a sound when it goes off which also helps to startle the animal (and people). You can place it anywhere - we put in the front yard once to keep dogs out of the yard and forgot to turn it off on mowing day. I have included a link so you can check it out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Scarecrow

Yeah, Sunflower, that's the one I was thinking of. I've always thought it sounded like it might work well! Thanks for the link!

Marcia

I use the tried and true method - my dogs. They are Dalmatians and are species challenged. Anything that is not a dog must be food. I have them trained to kill Lubbers and we have a lot of tailess lizards around here!

There are feral cats here in pretty big numbers but I have never seen the same cat in the yard more than once! Luckily I have plenty of trees so the worst that has ever happened is that they have been treed and terrified. I let the dogs hassle them until I am sure they are good and scared and then I put the dogs inside to give the cat a chance to catch his breath and escape.

The dropping off pets in the county problem is one we have here too. One day someone dropped off a very young Rottweiler mix girl** that was in what was no dooubt her first heat. She squezzed through the fence into my yard and my boys, being uneutered show dogs, discovered sex for the first time.

I called animal control and they came and picked her up. I was so angry at whoever was so irresponsible to do that to the poor girl. I asked the animal control person how he dealt with all the cruelty he must see day-to-day and he said that his job just about makes him lose faith in people. Isn't that sad?

Anita

** Oops I used the technical term for an unspayed girl dog and GardenWeb stopped my email from going. :-0

I sometimes watch the Animal Cops shows on tv just to see the cases where animals are taken from terrible homes and given a second chance at happiness. When it turns out good for the animal, it makes me feel good all over. But some of the things they have shown on there just leave me sobbing! I cannot fathom why anyone would GET an animal just to treat it so inhumanely. Just when I think people must be the worst species on the planet, I remember that it is OTHER PEOPLE who are out there doing the hard, nasty and sometimes dangerous work of trying to save these animals (and for very low pay, too). Then I realize that the same species that can produce a Charles Manson can also produce a Mother Teresa, and I feel better about humankind.

I'm glad your dogs have only managed to chase the cats and have never caught one. As long as that is working for you, it seems a good plan. Watch out for the lubbers, though...they are toxic. Hope your dogs don't swallow any bits and pieces when they kill them.

Marcia

Marcia:

You may not recall but we met at Kate's swap in '06. I live in Chuluota and take mosaic classes in Sanford (old town) on occasion. If you go to Kate's again this Fall I will look you up!

You are right - there is good too. And I suspect that most people who do this to animals are not evil -they are just ignorant. Get a cute puppy or kitten for the kids and then - oops - it is more work than planned. I did Dal rescue for couple of years until my heart broke over some of the unretreivable cases. Just talking about this makes me want to try to do something....

I am in contact with an organization called Wounded Warior Project that raises funds to provide decent medical treatment and fun / "in -society" outings for our troops who have suffered severaal phyicial or physhological injury. I hope to try to do some fundraising for them here in Orlando. I think it is such a great cause - we all wonder, I think, how to honor and thank the soldiers independent of our views on the war and this group just stuck me as a home run!

Back to the original question: try scattering mothballs under the bird feeder and in some other areas when the cat hangs out. They HATE the scent and will avoid it.

Kate

Anita, I have a very hazy recollection of almost EVERYONE I met at Kate's, I'm afraid. It was so crowded and hectic, I quickly got confused on all the names and faces. I had a GREAT time, I just forgot everyone! (I can't help it...I'm OOOOOOOOLLLLLD!!!) I am sure when I see you again, I will remember you, though. And I sure hope to be there this time around. Your cause sounds marvelous! When I see you again, maybe you can tell me more.

Kate, you're BACK! Yay! Hope your trip was marvelous. We talked about the mothballs earlier. I have never known them to work and am always afraid to put them out because they are toxic. I'm afraid my silly dog would eat them, for instance. Maybe they have worked better for you than for others who have tried them, though. I never argue with success!

Welcome home!

Marcia

My sister had a not-so-smart English Sheepdog that ate the mothballs in her closet and barely survived after a hefty vet bill. So good to be cautious. While I am a dog person I do not doubt that cats are snarter in that way and would avoid them rather than eat them so if you don't have a dog its probably a great idea!

Marcia, just to let you know I'm very aware of the dangers a cat or any other pet faces by being left to roam wild. The screens Rascal was going through were not on a screen porch but any window on the house that was open so much as a crack. We had the choice of either making her an indoor/outdoor cat or never opening a window in the house ever again! I tried every method I could think of to keep her an indoor cat and nothing worked. My other cats are only outdoor when I am outside with them and go back inside with me. Khyssa is trained to always come to me when I whistle for her and Koneko is completely harness trained. I have always spayed or nuetered my pets as soon as they were old enough and I always get them the full range of yearly vacinations, including kitty luekemia.

In the past I've rescued a number of pets that were out running loose in the neighborhood. Usually with the dogs I'm able to find their owners without much trouble but not so with cats. I once had a three-legged tom cat decide to adopt us but at the time I couldn't bring him into the house. I still got him nuetered and got all his shots and took care of him until I was able to find someone to adopt him. I also found a whole litter of white kittens that someone had dumped along side the road that I ended up taking to a local rescue group since all of them had goopy eyes and I just didn't have the money for that large of a vet bill.

One of my sister's boyfriends gave her a baby flying squirrel as a gift but she quickly lost interest in it. I ended up being the one taking care of him and found him to be a very affectionate and intelligent animal. We had him for several years but then I bought my own house and with having several cats at my house I couldn't keep Rocky, the squirell, at my house as well. At the time he was living at my parents house but my mom really didn't want him there since he was a bit messy and his cage tended to smell a bit. By talking to an exotic pet store owner I was able to find someone with experience raising flying squirells to take Rocky in.

I've been known to nag and scold friends or family members who don't get their pets nuetered or spayed in a timely matter. I'll even go out of my way to find them assistance in getting it done. People shouldn't keep animals unless they are willing and able to take proper care of them.

Kara

I agree with you 100%, Kara, and I'm happy to know that you understand the importance of keeping them in. I reckon there are always SOME who will thwart every effort we make, eh? My comments really weren't aimed at you specifically, but at folks in general who think they can't teach an old cat new tricks, and don't even try to keep them inside. It's such an awful problem, especially if they are having 3 or 4 litters of unwanted kittens a year.

I feel really passionate about this issue, knowing how many of these unloved animals are destroyed every year. It sounds like you did your very best with your stubborn cat, and that's all anyone can ask.

Your experiences with the flying squirrel are typical. Most of the time, wild animals don't make very good pets, for one reason or another. It's amazing to me what they are allowed to sell in pet stores. I had a friend once who bought a baby RACCOON because they told her they make wonderful housepets!!! NOT!!! Once it got big and began to be interested in finding a lady raccoon, it nearly dismantled her entire house. She had to take it to a rehab center to have it taught to survive on its own, so it could be released with a semi-wild group living out on a river. She learned a valuable but difficult lesson, and she eventually become a bird rehabber herself, so it ended good. I'm sure a flying squirrel would be an adorable pet, but my hope is that someday, most wild animals will not be up for sale. (Though it's tricky where to draw the line, I'll admit.)

Anyway, thanks for clarifying, and just know that I wasn't meaning to imply that you were doing something wrong. Just trying to get the word out that even rescued outdoor cats CAN be converted to indoor cats...MOST of the time. But I understand some just aren't good candidates. Those are the tricky situations where we just have to try to do the thing that is the lesser evil. Sounds like you did just that!

Marcia

Unfortunately, a truly feral cat, in the nth generation will not only let you touch it, it will never agree to live in your house.

Yes, cats are better off at home. It is just not always possible, and where it is not, TNR is a humane option.

I am sorry, jupiterplants, that the whole "catch-and-release thing" infuriates you. It infuriates me reading it - I guess we are all entitled to our own opinions and choices we make regarding our time and money. And if something breaks your heart, do something about it  research the options, donate some money, and make intelligent decisions. Just stating that things break your heart and some problems should be simplified in favor of others does not make sense  there will always be a bigger problem and a bigger threat. For now, I hope you take a few minutes and google up TNR  merely to get a better perspective.

Olya

do some thing about it.........DO SOMETHING IT ABOUT IT ?

oh........boy............ ! :(

I have a right not to have cats running amuck in my yard.
Case closed !

D'Ann, I think you and Olya really want the same thing, but are looking at it two different ways. The catch & release program is being abused and used incorrectly by anyone who would drop cats off in the country (at Jupiter Farms, for instance) and I don't think Olya supports that at all. The animals are supposed to be released where they CAME from, and as I said earlier, it isn't a perfect solution. Owner responsibility could make this problem go away in a more perfect world. It's a case of really needing to educate people so that they understand why their pets should always be spayed/neutered and why they should be kept indoors. But we will always have folks who don't get it, I guess.

Olya, I think D'Ann's biggest problem is people dropping off unwanted animals (neutered or otherwise) in her backyard, so to speak. Something I wouldn't want, either. And my understanding is that the TNR program is not designed to work like that at all, so this really should not be happening. It sounds likek the woman D'Ann spoke to at the party is totally ignorant of the real purpose of TNR and how it should work.

It's a difficult problem with no easy answers, but I do believe TNR is one way to help cut down on the numbers of feral cats, and that's a step in the right direction. Of course, the other way is for people to get rid of the notion of "throw away animals."

Personally, I don't think the innocent cats and dogs involved should pay the ultimate price for the ignorance of people. Certainly not in the staggering numbers that they do. So when I can, I try to step in and find a home for the animal in question, or take them to No Kill Shelters. Anything to get them off the streets and out of the circle of breeding more and more unwanted little ones.

Marcia

I agree with you, Marcia :) As long as people keep discarding animals, the problem will persist.

Yesterday, we had a SpayDay again...Lots of cats got spayed/neutered and will be released back to their habitat. It is a wonderful step, and I feel good about going to the SpayDay and prepping all these feral cats for the surgery. Good stuff.

As for the taxpayer money that jupiterplants brought up - well, that has nothing to do with TNR programs. It is run by volunteers: vets, people caring, and is paid out of our pockets. No taxpayer money here, no worries. Euthanasia, on the other hand, is carried out with the help of taxes (Animal Control). Not trying to make any kind of statement, just clarifying :)

Anyway, enough said. Case closed indeed.

Olya

Haven't been on the forum lately, but feel the need to respond to this one.

As far as detering cats from feeders: you want to create obstacles that will slow the cat in the event of a surprise attack. Surrounding the feeder with a small fence, piling up brush - anything that would slow the cat down and provide enough warning to the birds. In my yard, I have a feeder smack in the middle of a 5x6 rose bush. Haven't had any cats trying to get close to that feeder!

My cats have always been strictly indoor kitties. My first "set" of cats were strays, and they both live to 17 y.o. and over 21 y.o. They were tricksters, but I was committed to keeping them indoors. I know they lived long, healthy, and happy lives - there was always a dry bed, food, and opened windows to look and sniff out of. My current set of three cats have had plenty of opportunities to sneak out - I really believe they know they have it good being inside felines. Needless to say, I get very impatient with those who say that cats (or dogs for that matter) "need" to be outdoors running around free. Ugh!

TNR has been *thoroughly* discussed in this thread but I must put in my two cents. I thoroughly support a properly administered TNR program. Studies have shown the benefits: reduced litters, reduced fighting and breeding behaviors (read: no late night howling), less injuries, better health, less spread of disease, etc. If feral cats are completely removed from an area and are not replaced (after sterilization), other feral cats will come into the territory and form a new colony.